Armenian society expects a clear economic development program from new cabinet - Consumers Association

YEREVAN, April 16. /ARKA/. Armenia’s new government and the head should submit a clear program of economic development with future prospects, chairman of Armenian Consumers Association Armen Poghosyan told reporters.

No serious changes and socioeconomic improvements can be expected in the country if there is no economic strategy developed, Poghosyan said.

The head of the Association also said the “salary” policy, i.e. solutions to particular problems without overall view is not efficient.

Poghosyan favored the appointment of ex-speaker Hovik Abrahamyan as premier and said he was quite successful in settling conflicts inside the legislature. But he will need to take more efforts now as premier to improve economic situation in the country, Poghosyan said.

According to the head of the Armenian Consumers Association, the country will achieve economic growth if special attention is paid to energy sector. According to Poghosyan, energy is Armenian economy’s trump card.

“Armenia is a unique country having surplus of electricity, which could be easily exported… Our problem is non-efficient use of the existing resource”, Poghosyan said.

According to the expert, before Armenia was producing 15.5 billion kilowatt-hours, of it only about 13 kilowatt-hours were domestic consumption. “We were giving out the remaining energy just for free”, he said. Electricity production has dropped to 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours today, even then Armenia still has a potential for export, the expert said.

Practically all neighboring countries have lack of electricity. Besides, Armenia could be exporting energy to more distant countries, Pakistan for instance, through its neighbors. This potential is simply not realized in Armenia today, Poghosyan said.

According to ArmStat, electricity production amounted to 1,473.6 million kilowatt-hours in January-February, or about 32.77 billion drams in terms of money. –0--